A couple of weeks ago, we hosted an international colleague in Canberra. She had arrived a few days before I met her and was inundated with lunches and dinners so by the time we met, she was rather. My idea was to have an early glass of wine at the local bar near our office with another couple of colleagues followed by dinner.

And of course I wanted our visitor to try some good Aussie wines. We walked to the bar and found a table. I was quite surprised when I was told that the bar did not stock Aussie or New Zealand wines which really I would expect to find in a local Aussie bar. The waiter chose a French wine similar to savignon blanc for me. I do admit I initially turned up my nose but I had to immediately change my mind; the wine was fabulous!!

Vincent’s specialises in pairing food with specifically sourced wines from around the world [clearly not from Australia or NZ] and you can make a selection from a variety of small plates of delicacies or if you are really hungry you can order larger meals.

Both the wine and food menu are located on the side wall and remind me of the boards at the airport that tell us when flights are arriving and departing.

We sat for a while and chatted over a couple of glasses of wine (me now loving the French drop) and as our international colleague was tired, I said that instead of driving to another restaurant we could order a few share plates which meant we would all have an early night. Everyone agreed!

We went to the wall and chose our dishes:

The wagyu sirloin with parsnips, swiss brown mushrooms and mustard.

The zucchini flowers with asparagus, goat curd and celery salt.

The scallops with speck, smoked cauliflower and dasi (stock).

The gnocchi with goats cheese, pumpkin, rocket and pear.

The prawns with Jerusalem artichoke, almonds and beurre noisette.

And finally the medley of beetroot with cherry tomatoes, macadamia nuts and goat curd.

All of us said our favourite was the vegetarian gnocchi which was really good. So fresh and tasty! This bar is a great place to go as it’s close to work with excellent wine and food.

Reading your post, I also found myself most attracted by the gnocchi plate… until I read the end of your story and found out that you guys all agreed it was the best dish! Great place apparently, and the idea of the wall is so fun, like an invitation to travel indeed 🙂

Thank you Marion. I love goats cheese and beetroot too. I don’t cook much but I made a great salad with those ingredients along with walnuts and rocket salad with a drop of oil and balsamic. It was lovely.